Karnan first High Court judge to retire while on the run

CHENNAI: Justice C S Karnan of the Calcutta high court has earned another dubious distinction: he is the first HC judge to retire while on the run. Monday was his last day as a judge. Born on June 12, 1955, the judge is facing arrest and has been missing since May 9 when a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court passed an unprecedented arrest order against a constitutional court judge.He became a judge of the Madras high court in March 2009.
Though he had arrived in Chennai early on May 9 and was seen chatting with visitors and journalists at the state guest house till a couple of hours after the apex court’s arrest order, he went underground soon after, without the knowledge of his personal security and protocol officials.
To execute the SC’s directive, a West Bengal police team led by a DGP camped in Chennai since May 10, but in vain. The team took the Tamil Nadu police’s help to visit various places, including Kalahasti in Andhra Pradesh, but they could not locate the judge. As of date, the apex court’s order to arrest Justice Karnan remains unexecuted.
The retirement of a high court judge is an august occasion where he gets an opportunity to share his memories as a member of the bench in a constitutional court. Justice Karnan missed that opportunity as he did not get a formal farewell due to the SC’s arrest order. Justice Karnan became the first high court judge to move the National Commission for SCs and STs, complaining of harassment by his fellow judges.
He was the first to face the SC’s wrath and earn an order directing him to undergo psychiatric analysis for mental stability. He is the first to be ordered arrested while holding the constitutional office of a high court judge.